Week 22: Bulls Back Home, In First Place, But ...

The Bulls had a terrific week over in Charlotte, winning 5 out of 6 games. None were blowouts (except for the loss). The Bulls return home with a solid 3½-game lead over the second-place teams in the International League East (Jacksonville and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre). Standings.

With just 21 games left in the season (12 at home), the Bulls are in the home stretch.

But ...

Matchup

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are on quite a run since the All-Star break, almost the reverse of their parent club, the New York Yankees. The RailRiders have pulled up into a second-place tie with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. They have the potential to make a run for the lead in the IL East.

In fact, the Bulls and RailRiders show very little difference in their aggregate stats. The Bulls have an edge in hitting and run differential. But the RailRiders' pitching looks very good. This should be a week of very challenging ball for both clubs. And Wander Franco will likely be on the field doing a rehab tour. If the Bulls have a lot of trouble with the RailRiders, then the end of the season gets much more competitive.

The Bulls play today at 5 o'clock, take a day off, and then play 5 in a row. Then the Bulls trek down to Gwinnett to play the Braves, come back home to play Norfolk, and wrap up the season with three games in Charlotte. 

We would, of course, prefer for the Bulls to then travel out to Las Vegas for a championship round. We'll see.